2015 BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit Draws Record 325 Attendees

Washington, DC (October 7, 2015) – The fourth annual BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit concluded today, bringing together patient advocacy groups, health care provider organizations, academia, government and biotechnology industry representatives. The event provides a forum for lively discussion, networking and educational programming to advance partnerships among stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem and share best practices. Organized by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the event drew a record-breaking 325 attendees.

“Facilitating partnerships with patient advocacy groups as well as all stakeholders is an increasingly critical component of the drug development ecosystem,” said Paul Hastings, Chairman and CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals and Chair of BIO’s Patient Advocacy Committee. “The relationships formed and information shared at this year’s BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit will play a role for years to come in accelerating the development of new cures and treatments for patients in need. As a biotech CEO, I come away from this event each year with new knowledge and connections that will help my company incorporate the patient perspective into all of our drug development programs.”

Today at the Summit, the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) launched their recommendations for Effective Engagement with Patient Groups Around Clinical Trials. The recommendations are the culmination of the Patient Groups & Clinical Trials (PGCT) Project, initiated by CTTI in January of 2014 to find evidence-based, actionable solutions for effective engagement between research sponsors, investigators and patient groups. A full copy of the recommendations may be downloaded here.

“The BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit provided an important venue for the unveiling of our recommendations, with the presence of so many patient and industry groups who are eager to collaborate,” said Bray Patrick-Lake, Director of Stakeholder Engagement for CTTI. “These recommendations provide specific, actionable steps for all stakeholders to take in pursuing meaningful collaborations throughout the continuum of drug development.”

The Summit’s opening luncheon featured keynote speaker Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. Dr. Woodcock’s remarks focused on efforts to ensure meaningful patient engagement throughout the drug development process and the critical role that patient input plays in enabling the FDA make informed regulatory decisions.

The full program and speaker lineup may be found here. Join and follow the conversation around the Summit on Twitter with #BIOSummit2015.

The BIO Patient and Health Advocacy Summit is possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, including Gold Sponsors: AstraZeneca, Celgene, Genentech, Eli Lilly and Shire; Silver Sponsors: Amgen and Astellas; and Bronze Sponsors: Alexion, Baxalta, Biogen, Horizon Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer and Vertex.

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